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cat's cradle

noun

Definition of cat's cradlenext
as in labyrinth

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cat's cradle The image on the Leopoldstadt playbill is of a young Jewish child playing with a cat's cradle. — Christian Holub, EW.com, 13 Oct. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cat's cradle
  1. labyrinth
  2. maze
  3. tangle
  4. snarl
Noun
  • In the cobwebbed sub-basement of a Swedish library, an unnamed narrator discovers a labyrinth of twenty-six rooms.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • This stone is part of a larger labyrinth that eventually reaches an ocean in a system of deep, powerful interdependence.
    — Supriya Lopez Pillai, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of labyrinth
Noun
  • The system is a maze in which laws collide with gray areas, where layers upon layers of policy have accumulated over decades in a pile waiting for reform that has never come.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The 24-by-32-foot maze of chambers, gaskets, gauges and pipes has jokingly been nicknamed Martha by some of the technicians who run it.
    — Dana Hedgpeth, Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of maze
Noun
  • The brain’s surface has ridges and valleys, and CTE tangles are found in the depths of those valleys, called the cortical sulci, and surround blood vessels.
    — Alexandra Pattillo, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Brushing controls shedding, removes debris and prevents tangles.
    — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of tangle
Noun
  • His Lamb goes from a brash Yorkshire showman to a callous profiteer of human vice and misery, his cheeky smile becoming a vicious snarl.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
  • This year’s Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer with closures, travel snarls and record gas prices in California.
    — Vince Basada, Sacbee.com, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of snarl

Browse Nearby Words

cat
cat's cradle
cat's cradles
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Cite this Entry

“Cat's cradle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cat%27s%20cradle. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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